Typically, gaming devices such as slot machines operate with a plurality of reels, in which each reel includes a plurality of symbols. In a slot machine reel game, the player causes the reels to spin by placing a wager on the game. The outcome provided to the betting player for win evaluation is generated by a series of three to five reels that spin vertically until they stop. The resulting game mechanic is such that the set of possible wager outcomes is made up of all of the combinations of reel stops from all of the reels involved.
Generally, slot machines in the United States are divided into two class types that are described as “Class III” and “Class II.” The Class III slot machines use an individual internal random number generator to determine wins and losses. Class III slot machines also include reel spins that are separate from one another and machines that are not linked to a paytable. In Class III machines, the player is playing against the house and not against other opponents. Additionally, for Class III slot machines the wins are instant and immediately payable.
Class II slot machines are tied to a centralized random number generator that is communicatively coupled to a connected group of machines. The individual Class II slot machine does not determine whether the player wins or loses. The Class II slot machine is part of a networked game and players compete against each other for a central prize pool. When a new game commences, there are a set and limited number of outcomes until the sequence is complete and the game resets.
Generally, a player is awarded a prize when a generated symbol or combination of symbols appears along an active payline. In addition to paylines, there are other methods to award a player that include a “nudge” feature. A “nudge” occurs after the reels initially spin and stop. The “nudge” allows the game or the player to move the reels through a limited rotation from a first position “non-winning” position to a second position that is a “possibly winning position.”
Another method for awarding a player includes a gaming device with multiple individual reels that allow the manipulation of the position of the symbols on the reels. These symbols may be manipulated across the multiple reels in a variety of ways after a reel stop. This primary game manipulation may increase the number of combinations presented to the player and thereby increase the player's chance of achieving winning combinations. For example, when the player spins the reels and the reels stop, an evaluation of the win lines is performed and a “shuffle bonus” is initiated that rearranges the symbols already on screen to provide new combinations on the paylines.